US House Speaker John Boehner, who has spent years pushing back against a rebellious flank long seeking his ouster, told a closed-door meeting Friday that he will resign next month, a lawmaker said.

"Speaker Boehner just announced in Conference that he will resign as Speaker and from Congress at the end of October," House Republican Bill Huizenga said in a tweet.

Boehner's departure will spark an intense battle for control of the House as the United States gears up for a presidential election in November 2016.